Sunday Worship Service November 3rd, 2024
Prelude
Call to Worship Jeremiah 17:7
Hymn JBC #339 The church’s one foundation
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 523 Jesus loves me!
Offering
Bible Puppet Show
Special Praise
Scripture 14:1～14
Prayer
Sermon “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 338 To worship, work, and witness
Doxology JBC #674
Benediction
Postlude
I think people need something believe in and live by. But what does it mean to believe in and live by something?
When a person lives by something, it means that the object of that belief is very important to them and is central to the guidelines and values that guide their life.
In other words it is an object toward which people live. What is the object that you live by?
Maybe it's some ideology, some belief, some other person that you respect, or maybe you think, “Honestly, for me it's money”. Money is a necessity for everyone, indeed.
Or perhaps you believe that the only thing you can believe in is yourself. Or, maybe you think “What do I believe in and live by? Nothing in particular. Simply being alive is all there is to life.”
For me, the object that I live according to is God. For me, as a Christian, God is One who has revealed Himself to man through the person of Jesus Christ.
But that does not mean that I always understand Christ my God and always live according to His ways.
Despite being a Christian and now a pastor and leader of a church, I am still a weak and flawed human being and am not always able to obey God.
In many cases, I am not sure what is really God's will or what He wants me to do.
Nevertheless, God to me is One who has revealed Himself to man through Jesus Christ, and I at least aim to live according to His ways.
Jesus Christ was crucified and killed on the cross about 2,000 years ago. Today, we usually cannot visibly see Christ nor can we audibly hear Him.
However, we can still learn about what Jesus Christ did and said through the Bible.
There are many different so-called“gods” in the world, but Christians believe that the One who revealed Himself through Jesus Christ is the one true God.
The phrase “revealed Himself through Jesus Christ” means that God Himself came into the world in the person of Jesus, a human being, and lived a human life exactly the same way as everyone else.
The Bible teaches us that very clearly. Even in the Bible passage we just read (the Gospel of John), Jesus spoke on the premise that He is equal to God.
At the beginning of today's passage, Jesus says the following.
You believe in God; believe also in me.
After saying, “Believe in God,” Jesus followed up by saying, “Believe also in Me.” Jesus was saying, “Believe in Me as you believe in God,”so in other words, He was declaring Himself to be equal to God.
Then, Philip, one of Jesus' disciples, says the following.
“Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”(Verse 8)
“Show us the Father” means “show us God the Father.”
I think we can all understand what Philip is trying to say. People often say, “If I see with my eyes, if you show me some evidence, I will believe in God.”
We usually think that if we can see with our own eyes, and if the evidence is convincing enough, then we will believe.
Jesus responded to Philip as follows.
Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father (verse 9)
And Jesus continues in verse 10.
10 Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.
Jesus is saying that He is in God the Father, and God the Father is also in Him.
This may be difficult or even impossible to understand or believe when you hear it for the first time.
What Jesus is trying to say with the statement is that“God the Father and Jesus are one and the same and that Jesus IS God.
And the Bible tells us that the God who revealed Himself through Jesus Christ is the one true God.
I know this is one of the reasons Christianity is not popular. There may be some Christians out there who say “Christianity is narrow-minded because it claims there is only one God.”
However, as a pastor entrusted with the Word of God, I cannot dilute or compromise that point (that there is only one God, Jesus Christ).
In verse 6 of today's passage, Jesus says the following words, which are coincidentally also the title of today's sermon.
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Jesus never said, “I am a way, a truth, and a life (implying that there is another way to God, another truth, and another life besides Jesus).”
As long as you are going in the right general direction, no matter which road you take or which mode of transportation you use, if the destination and direction are correct, you will arrive at your destination.
If you are on the wrong road, you will not arrive at the destination you want. But Jesus asserted that He is the very road to God the Father (there is no other road).
If a mere human being had made such a claim, there would not be such more self-righteous and extraordinary.
So, we, as we hear Jesus’s claim, are presented with the choice of rejecting outright or believing Jesus' assertion that “He is the only way to God the Father, and He is equal to God.”
What kind of God would go to such lengths to self-righteously assert His uniqueness and urge us to follow Him?
In short, God is love. The Bible says exactly that. In 1 John 4:16, it says, “God is love.” I would love to read the verses before and after together if we had time, but I encourage everyone to pick up a Bible and read it for themselves.
“God is love” means ”You are important to God.” God loves you and you are important to Him.
In the beginning, I said, “For me, the object that I live according to is God (Jesus Christ).
Upon hearing that, you may think that God is like a master or manager who simply bosses around human beings.
No, it is not so. God, through Jesus Christ, through His actions and words, is the One who speaks to us the words, “You are precious and loved.”
And when we know that we are loved by and are precious to God, we begin to desire to follow Him.
And when we know that God loves us, we are able to love (care for) ourselves and others. At the very least, one will desire to love others. (I’d be worried if you don’t)
I would like to urge you all to be open to the possibility that there is such a God, Jesus Christ, who loves us and urges us to love ourselves and others as well.
Lastly, I would like to read a message that one of our members from this church who passed away six years ago, realizing that she was going to die, wrote to the church members shortly before her passing.
Sometimes I still look back at this little note, a sure sign that this believer truly believed in the loving God, lived in His peace, and ended her earthly walk in peace.
“I am grateful for the joy and peace that fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ has brought to my life. I have lived a very happy life. I now go to our Lord Jesus in the embrace of the Holy Spirit (*the Spirit of God). Please pray for me as I pray for everyone's happiness. In the name of our Lord Jesus, Amen.”
There is another message by the same person that I will read as well.
“Dear Pastor, thank you very much for all you've done for me during my lifetime. Please pray that I don't let go of Jesus' hand.”
May all of us here today meet the Lord Jesus Christ. May the love and peace of the one true God fill each and other single one of us here today.
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Friday, October 25, 2024
Sunday Worship Service October 27, 2024
Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 107:9
Hymn JBC # 124 This is my Father’s world
The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Supper
Hymn JBC # 213 Tell me the story of Jesus
Offering
Scripture Mark 6:30～44
Prayer
Sermon “They all ate and were satisfied”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 21 Worthy of worship
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
Postlude
Today’s Bible passage shows Jesus’ disciples returning to Jesus’s side after completing their work.
It says that the Disciples report to Jesus all about everything they had done and taught to people that day.
These were the 12 immediate disciples of Jesus, who are called “the Apostles”.
In Mark chapter 6 verse 7 and onwards, the section before today’s passage, it talks about how Jesus sent them out to do works.
The work Jesus had sent the Apostles out to do was to tell others about the Kingdom of God, to teach, and to drive out demons, heal the sick, and more.
The Apostles were chosen by Jesus to become disciples, to receive power from Him and then to go out to many places and do works including to proclaim the gospel, heal sickness, and drive out demons.
Jesus hoped that through such work of the Apostles, people would come to know God’s Kingdom (the Gospel).
Listening to the Apostles (Jesus’ direct disciples), we might get the impression that they were exceptional people, different from us.
Certainly, the Apostles were chosen by Jesus, lived alongside Him and worked with Jesus in sharing the gospel, so we can say that they were special.
But, when we think about “being chosen by Jesus” and “receiving power from and being sent out by Jesus”, we as Christians living now are the same.
We have been chosen by Jesus and led to the Church. We have been chosen by Jesus, and been led to profess that Jesus is Lord.
I hope that as Christians, we recognize and are thankful for the honor of being chosen only by God’s Grace, and that we walk humbly in faith.
The Apostles each finished their work and returned to Jesus. They reported to Jesus all that they had done and taught.
When I think about this scene, what came to mind was us as Christians in the worship service, having been sent out to our daily lives, to do our works, then coming back to Jesus in worship.
For Christians, we come to this place of worship and meet Jesus, listen to Jesus’ Word, receive power from Jesus, and are sent out to our various works and everyday lives.
With gifts God has given each of us, we carry the Gospel (the Good News) with us as we are sent out from here each week.
And, just as the Apostles reported on all that they had done to Jesus, it could be said that we also look back on our lives and works during the past week, and tell Jesus about it here in this place of worship.
We can tell him things like “Over the past week, I did this. And this happened. This went well, but I also made some mistakes.” We can tell Jesus anything.
There would be some people here who do this every day at the end of the day in their prayer time to God.
When we tell Jesus all about what we have done, I imagine that he is looking on us with a gentle gaze, listening quietly to all that we have to tell Him.
In today’s passage, after Jesus had listened to the report from his disciples, he said this:
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”(v.31)
Today’s passage shows us that they were surrounded by a great crowd of people (people wanting Jesus and the disciples to teach them and heal them), and they were so busy they didn’t even have time to eat a meal.
Just like in this passage, what Jesus gives to us is rest. Rest for our hearts and bodies, rest for our minds and souls in God’s love. This is the true rest that Jesus gives to us.
We receive this blessing of true rest from Jesus firstly through our worship.
We receive this true rest for our body and soul from worshipping God, and then we are sent out from this place to our daily lives.
The passage says that Jesus and the Apostles boarded a boat and tried to go to a remote location, however, the crowd of people realized this and went ahead, arriving there before Jesus and the Apostles.
This was how much many people needed God’s healing. Everyone needed God’s blessing, and when Jesus saw this crowd, he felt great compassion.
Feeling compassion is not just feeling a sense of pity. Jesus feeling compassion for the crowd of people can be taken as meaning that he felt the pain, sadness and suffering that surrounded each of those people as if it were His own.
Jesus, as God who became man, is able to take our pain, suffering and sadness as if it were his own, just as he did for the crowd.
I hope that knowing that the God who can do these things is with us as our God brings us joy and thankfulness.
The passage says that Jesus had great compassion on them and began to teach them “many things”. At that time, Jesus was teaching them His words (the Word of God).
It says that Jesus looked upon them and saw that they were “like sheep without a shepherd” and had compassion on them.
A “sheep without a shepherd” has no one to give them directions in life, so they don’t know where to go or what to do, but just wander aimlessly.
So that these sheep without a shepherd could be shown a clear way of living and direction, Jesus taught the crowd God’s Word unstintingly.
God’s Word supports us throughout our lives, and forms our guiding principles. This year, our church theme is Standing on the Word of the Lord. Let us always hold the Word of God as our guide, as we continue to walk this path of faith.
Jesus continued to teach the people, but it was taking a long time, and the disciples said this to Jesus:
“This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
Jesus responded “You give them something to eat”.
The disciples said “Are we to go and spend that much (*two hundred denarii) on bread and give it to them to eat?”(verse 37). They must have thought “There’s no way we can do that.”
As an easy example for the present time, two hundred denarii would be about 2 million yen. The passage shows that just counting the men there were 5,000 people, and adding the women and children would make it about two or three times that number.
When we are faced with a difficult challenge, we use our experience or common sense to decide if we think something is possible or impossible.
Here and now, if we thought about spending two hundred denarii on bread and giving it to these people to eat, we wouldn’t even need to think about it, common sense says it’s impossible. (the common sense says such money is not available).
However, believers in God rely not on the world’s common sense (to begin with it is not as though common sense is always right), but on God’s word, living in faith and the hope that “If it is Your will, it will happen”.
What did Jesus do in today’s passage? Jesus asked his disciples to check what bread they already had.
The disciples checked, and found there were five loaves of bread and two fish. To the eyes of the people, there was no way this amount could feed this great crowd.
But Jesus saw things differently. Jesus saw these five loaves and two fish, and to Him, they were enough.
Jesus took the bread and the fish in His hands, look up to the Heavens and spoke a prayer of praise, then broke the bread and multiplied the fish and gave them to His disciples.
The disciples made it sure that this bread and fish would be handed to all the people who were gathered there. All the people there sitting in groups of fifty or a hundred ate, and all were full.
This is an amazing miracle. Yet, that great crowd was five thousand people counting just then men, and adding their families makes it about ten thousand or twenty thousand people.
In such a large crowd, many among them may not have realized that the bread and fish that they ate had been multiplied by Jesus’ prayer and blessing.
It may be that it was only the Apostles who and others who were close by would have known that it was really Jesus who had multiplied the food through a prayer of praise, and that it was originally only five loaves and two fish.
When we imagine this, we might think that we also often accept the many blessings we receive (blessings from God) without realizing that they are indeed God’s blessings.
The world around us is filled with God’s blessings, but isn’t it often the case that fail to realize that Jesus is blessing us abundantly and take these blessings for granted?
Let us open the eyes of our faith and consider the blessings that God is pouring out on us every day, even in this very moment.
If we believe this, these blessings from God become our own. Then, it is God’s hope that these blessings do not stop with just us, but flow through each of us and are passed on to others.
Let us go forward as believers and a church that is aware of God’s blessings that Jesus gives us, sharing these blessings with each other, and passing these blessings on to our neighbors and others abundantly.
Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 107:9
Hymn JBC # 124 This is my Father’s world
The Lord’s Prayer
The Lord’s Supper
Hymn JBC # 213 Tell me the story of Jesus
Offering
Scripture Mark 6:30～44
Prayer
Sermon “They all ate and were satisfied”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 21 Worthy of worship
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
Postlude
Today’s Bible passage shows Jesus’ disciples returning to Jesus’s side after completing their work.
It says that the Disciples report to Jesus all about everything they had done and taught to people that day.
These were the 12 immediate disciples of Jesus, who are called “the Apostles”.
In Mark chapter 6 verse 7 and onwards, the section before today’s passage, it talks about how Jesus sent them out to do works.
The work Jesus had sent the Apostles out to do was to tell others about the Kingdom of God, to teach, and to drive out demons, heal the sick, and more.
The Apostles were chosen by Jesus to become disciples, to receive power from Him and then to go out to many places and do works including to proclaim the gospel, heal sickness, and drive out demons.
Jesus hoped that through such work of the Apostles, people would come to know God’s Kingdom (the Gospel).
Listening to the Apostles (Jesus’ direct disciples), we might get the impression that they were exceptional people, different from us.
Certainly, the Apostles were chosen by Jesus, lived alongside Him and worked with Jesus in sharing the gospel, so we can say that they were special.
But, when we think about “being chosen by Jesus” and “receiving power from and being sent out by Jesus”, we as Christians living now are the same.
We have been chosen by Jesus and led to the Church. We have been chosen by Jesus, and been led to profess that Jesus is Lord.
I hope that as Christians, we recognize and are thankful for the honor of being chosen only by God’s Grace, and that we walk humbly in faith.
The Apostles each finished their work and returned to Jesus. They reported to Jesus all that they had done and taught.
When I think about this scene, what came to mind was us as Christians in the worship service, having been sent out to our daily lives, to do our works, then coming back to Jesus in worship.
For Christians, we come to this place of worship and meet Jesus, listen to Jesus’ Word, receive power from Jesus, and are sent out to our various works and everyday lives.
With gifts God has given each of us, we carry the Gospel (the Good News) with us as we are sent out from here each week.
And, just as the Apostles reported on all that they had done to Jesus, it could be said that we also look back on our lives and works during the past week, and tell Jesus about it here in this place of worship.
We can tell him things like “Over the past week, I did this. And this happened. This went well, but I also made some mistakes.” We can tell Jesus anything.
There would be some people here who do this every day at the end of the day in their prayer time to God.
When we tell Jesus all about what we have done, I imagine that he is looking on us with a gentle gaze, listening quietly to all that we have to tell Him.
In today’s passage, after Jesus had listened to the report from his disciples, he said this:
“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”(v.31)
Today’s passage shows us that they were surrounded by a great crowd of people (people wanting Jesus and the disciples to teach them and heal them), and they were so busy they didn’t even have time to eat a meal.
Just like in this passage, what Jesus gives to us is rest. Rest for our hearts and bodies, rest for our minds and souls in God’s love. This is the true rest that Jesus gives to us.
We receive this blessing of true rest from Jesus firstly through our worship.
We receive this true rest for our body and soul from worshipping God, and then we are sent out from this place to our daily lives.
The passage says that Jesus and the Apostles boarded a boat and tried to go to a remote location, however, the crowd of people realized this and went ahead, arriving there before Jesus and the Apostles.
This was how much many people needed God’s healing. Everyone needed God’s blessing, and when Jesus saw this crowd, he felt great compassion.
Feeling compassion is not just feeling a sense of pity. Jesus feeling compassion for the crowd of people can be taken as meaning that he felt the pain, sadness and suffering that surrounded each of those people as if it were His own.
Jesus, as God who became man, is able to take our pain, suffering and sadness as if it were his own, just as he did for the crowd.
I hope that knowing that the God who can do these things is with us as our God brings us joy and thankfulness.
The passage says that Jesus had great compassion on them and began to teach them “many things”. At that time, Jesus was teaching them His words (the Word of God).
It says that Jesus looked upon them and saw that they were “like sheep without a shepherd” and had compassion on them.
A “sheep without a shepherd” has no one to give them directions in life, so they don’t know where to go or what to do, but just wander aimlessly.
So that these sheep without a shepherd could be shown a clear way of living and direction, Jesus taught the crowd God’s Word unstintingly.
God’s Word supports us throughout our lives, and forms our guiding principles. This year, our church theme is Standing on the Word of the Lord. Let us always hold the Word of God as our guide, as we continue to walk this path of faith.
Jesus continued to teach the people, but it was taking a long time, and the disciples said this to Jesus:
“This is a remote place,” they said, “and it’s already very late. 36 Send the people away so that they can go to the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.”
Jesus responded “You give them something to eat”.
The disciples said “Are we to go and spend that much (*two hundred denarii) on bread and give it to them to eat?”(verse 37). They must have thought “There’s no way we can do that.”
As an easy example for the present time, two hundred denarii would be about 2 million yen. The passage shows that just counting the men there were 5,000 people, and adding the women and children would make it about two or three times that number.
When we are faced with a difficult challenge, we use our experience or common sense to decide if we think something is possible or impossible.
Here and now, if we thought about spending two hundred denarii on bread and giving it to these people to eat, we wouldn’t even need to think about it, common sense says it’s impossible. (the common sense says such money is not available).
However, believers in God rely not on the world’s common sense (to begin with it is not as though common sense is always right), but on God’s word, living in faith and the hope that “If it is Your will, it will happen”.
What did Jesus do in today’s passage? Jesus asked his disciples to check what bread they already had.
The disciples checked, and found there were five loaves of bread and two fish. To the eyes of the people, there was no way this amount could feed this great crowd.
But Jesus saw things differently. Jesus saw these five loaves and two fish, and to Him, they were enough.
Jesus took the bread and the fish in His hands, look up to the Heavens and spoke a prayer of praise, then broke the bread and multiplied the fish and gave them to His disciples.
The disciples made it sure that this bread and fish would be handed to all the people who were gathered there. All the people there sitting in groups of fifty or a hundred ate, and all were full.
This is an amazing miracle. Yet, that great crowd was five thousand people counting just then men, and adding their families makes it about ten thousand or twenty thousand people.
In such a large crowd, many among them may not have realized that the bread and fish that they ate had been multiplied by Jesus’ prayer and blessing.
It may be that it was only the Apostles who and others who were close by would have known that it was really Jesus who had multiplied the food through a prayer of praise, and that it was originally only five loaves and two fish.
When we imagine this, we might think that we also often accept the many blessings we receive (blessings from God) without realizing that they are indeed God’s blessings.
The world around us is filled with God’s blessings, but isn’t it often the case that fail to realize that Jesus is blessing us abundantly and take these blessings for granted?
Let us open the eyes of our faith and consider the blessings that God is pouring out on us every day, even in this very moment.
If we believe this, these blessings from God become our own. Then, it is God’s hope that these blessings do not stop with just us, but flow through each of us and are passed on to others.
Let us go forward as believers and a church that is aware of God’s blessings that Jesus gives us, sharing these blessings with each other, and passing these blessings on to our neighbors and others abundantly.
Saturday, October 19, 2024
Sunday Worship Service October 20, 2024
Prelude
Call to Worship Isaiah 25:6
Hymn JBC # 26 We praise You, O God, our Redeemer
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 213 Tell me the story of Jesus
Testimonies
Offering
Scripture Luke 14:15～24
Prayer
Sermon “The parable of the great banquet”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 521 I’d rather have Jesus
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
Postlude
Today’s bible passage is Luke 14:15-24, and in the New Interconfessional Translation Bible (Japanese) it has the heading:“the Parable of the Great Banquet.”
A similar story to this is written in Matthew 22:1-20. In Matthew it mentions that the banquet was a wedding feast a king was holding for the prince.
In Matthew it mentions that those who were invited to the wedding ignored the invitations, and some cruel people seized the king’s messenger who brought the invitation, beat them, and killed them.
A common point between what is written in Matthew vs. Luke is that the banquet (or wedding feast) was prepared by the host (or king). Another point is that the people invited refused the invitation.
In each of the passages in Matthew and Luke, what exactly are the people who refuse the invitations to the banquet (or wedding feast) meant to portray? Let’s listen to what God has to say to us through this passage.
In verse 15 it states that someone says to Jesus,“blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
At this time, it seems that Jesus and His disciples were invited to share a meal with someone. (In chapter 14 verse 1 we see that Jesus went to the home of a prominent Pharisee to eat)
There, one of the guests says, “how wonderful it must be to eat a meal in the Kingdom of the God, where we will be allowed to enter.”
This guest may have been imagining that, while the current feast they were enjoying was fun, how much more amazing must a feast in the Kingdom of God be.
In verse 15 we can see that it says, “when he heard this he said that….”
“This”of“when he heard this” refers to Jesus’s sayings written in verses 7-14 before today’s passage.
Jesus says there“when you are invited to a wedding, you should not seek the places of honor, rather you should take the lowest place”thus teaching them the importance of keeping a humble attitude of faith.
This, of course, is not just a surface level action. This is an important lesson from God to us that, as those whose sins are forgiven, with thanksgiving we are to have humility and serve others.
Then Jesus says, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid,” (verse 12).
“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay it” (verses 13-14).
In other words, if you are blessed enough that you can host a banquet, invite those who are unable to repay the favor to you.
In other words, when you do something for someone else, do not expect anything in return.
When we ask someone to do something for us, do we not also think that we must give something suitable in return as thanks?
There are times when this comes from goodwill and courtesy. However, are there also not times when we think that we do not want to be indebted to someone and feel as though we must give in return to avoid that?
Therefore, God is telling us in this passage that if we invite someone to a banquet, do not expect anything in return.
In other words, I think this telling us to be free from the idea of “give and take”.
This means that we are originally to live together and support one another. We are all unable to live without being supported by others and most of all we can’t live if not supported by the Lord our God.
I hope we can remember that we are not to live by normal “give and take”, but rather we always owe each other “gives” and “takes” in a sense that we are to support (live) with each other.
And the bible teaches us that the banquet that God is preparing for us (that includes a fellowship in the Kingdom of God, and the joy we are given in faith) is a truly great and wonderful thing.
God’s Kingdom where He allows us to enter is so wonderful that there is no way for us to give something suitable in return.
The reason we are able to know God, believe in God, and are allowed to enter His Kingdom, is because Jesus gave His life on the cross for us.
Jesus paid all the price for our salvation. Let us remember that this cost, which we could not have paid ourselves, was paid for by Jesus Christ.
We have been given an invitation to God’s Kingdom. However, in today’s passage we see that the guests who were invited to the banquet turn down the invitation when the banquet begins.
At the time, the Jews apparently had the custom of telling the guests about the coming banquet ahead of time, but the specific time and date would not be told until just before it began.
I felt that this was a rather sloppy custom. This may be because we are so used to having our lifestyles revolve around specific schedules.
The person who had prepared the banquet waited for the guests he invited to come. However, for various reasons, the people invited declined to attend the banquet.
One person said that he had just bought a field and needed to go see it. Another said that he had just bought five yoke of oxen and he needed to go inspect them.
Another said that he had just gotten married, so he couldn’t attend. Everyone had some sort of reason why they could not attend.
Why did these people decline to attend this great banquet? It is because they prioritized things that affected their own lifestyle or finances.
So does that mean that this passage is teaching us that it is foolish to prioritize our own affairs over the fellowship of the Kingdom of God and refusing the invitation to enter the Kingdom of God?
I believe that the main lesson to be learned from this passage is precisely that. When we center our lives around our own thoughts and plans, we lose sight of how great and wonderful the Kingdom of God is.
Another thing we can understand is that we view the invitation to the Kingdom of God as an obligation.
In reality, the invitation to the Kingdom of God is a great gift given freely. That is pure grace and a joy to us.
However, I believe today’s passage also shows us that we see God’s calling to the banquet as an obligation (burden) that must be fulfilled.
In today’s passage, the third person refused the invitation saying that he couldn’t go because he just got married.
In the Old Testament in ‘Deuteronomy’ 24:5 it says the following:
If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.
This means that if a person gets married, they are exempt from military and other official duties for one year to prioritize their marriage life.
However, if someone is to use this situation (being a newlywed) as a reason not to attend the banquet of the Kingdom of God, that means that that person is thinking of attending the banquet of the Kingdom of God as being military service or an official duty.
The banquet of the Kingdom of God will have its perfect form when we are called to heaven and Jesus Christ has returned.
However, the signs of the banquet of the Kingdom of God have already begun in our lives on this Earth.
Jesus came to this world as a man, died on the cross and paid for our sins.
Through this, our sins were forgiven, and since we have become able to return before God, His Kingdom has begun appearing on this Earth.
Through our fellowship with Jesus Christ, through our fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ at church as His body, and through worshipping Christ our Lord, we experience at least a foretaste of the banquet of the Kingdom of God.
But we feel that this wonderful grace (worship), which is equivalent to a banquet in the Kingdom of God, is something like “a duty that we have to fulfill reluctantly,” then something is wrong.
If we find worship or attending other church gatherings to be troublesome (if you find yourself unmotivated to participate), then we must say that something is wrong there.
It may not be that that person is mistaken. It could be that the church itself, or the spiritual leader of the church, the pastor, has some spiritual or attitude problem.
However, this does not change the reality that the Lord, our God through the grace of Jesus Christ, is inviting us to His wonderful banquet.
This should be a great joy. If you find yourself unable to find joy in being invited to God’s Kingdom, then let us return together to the gospel of Christ and the message of the bible that teaches us that Jesus is with us.
Let us also trust that our faith in Jesus Christ, and our worship to Christ, which is a foundation of our faith, along with the fellowship of the church, are foretastes of the perfection that is to come in the great banquet of the Kingdom of God.
We have already received the invitation to the banquet of the Kingdom of God. There is no need to give anything in return (in fact we cannot give anything in return). Let us remember the joy of being invited to the banquet in the Kingdom of God and walk in faith of gratitude and hope.
Prelude
Call to Worship Isaiah 25:6
Hymn JBC # 26 We praise You, O God, our Redeemer
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 213 Tell me the story of Jesus
Testimonies
Offering
Scripture Luke 14:15～24
Prayer
Sermon “The parable of the great banquet”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 521 I’d rather have Jesus
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
Postlude
Today’s bible passage is Luke 14:15-24, and in the New Interconfessional Translation Bible (Japanese) it has the heading:“the Parable of the Great Banquet.”
A similar story to this is written in Matthew 22:1-20. In Matthew it mentions that the banquet was a wedding feast a king was holding for the prince.
In Matthew it mentions that those who were invited to the wedding ignored the invitations, and some cruel people seized the king’s messenger who brought the invitation, beat them, and killed them.
A common point between what is written in Matthew vs. Luke is that the banquet (or wedding feast) was prepared by the host (or king). Another point is that the people invited refused the invitation.
In each of the passages in Matthew and Luke, what exactly are the people who refuse the invitations to the banquet (or wedding feast) meant to portray? Let’s listen to what God has to say to us through this passage.
In verse 15 it states that someone says to Jesus,“blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”
At this time, it seems that Jesus and His disciples were invited to share a meal with someone. (In chapter 14 verse 1 we see that Jesus went to the home of a prominent Pharisee to eat)
There, one of the guests says, “how wonderful it must be to eat a meal in the Kingdom of the God, where we will be allowed to enter.”
This guest may have been imagining that, while the current feast they were enjoying was fun, how much more amazing must a feast in the Kingdom of God be.
In verse 15 we can see that it says, “when he heard this he said that….”
“This”of“when he heard this” refers to Jesus’s sayings written in verses 7-14 before today’s passage.
Jesus says there“when you are invited to a wedding, you should not seek the places of honor, rather you should take the lowest place”thus teaching them the importance of keeping a humble attitude of faith.
This, of course, is not just a surface level action. This is an important lesson from God to us that, as those whose sins are forgiven, with thanksgiving we are to have humility and serve others.
Then Jesus says, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid,” (verse 12).
“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed because they cannot repay it” (verses 13-14).
In other words, if you are blessed enough that you can host a banquet, invite those who are unable to repay the favor to you.
In other words, when you do something for someone else, do not expect anything in return.
When we ask someone to do something for us, do we not also think that we must give something suitable in return as thanks?
There are times when this comes from goodwill and courtesy. However, are there also not times when we think that we do not want to be indebted to someone and feel as though we must give in return to avoid that?
Therefore, God is telling us in this passage that if we invite someone to a banquet, do not expect anything in return.
In other words, I think this telling us to be free from the idea of “give and take”.
This means that we are originally to live together and support one another. We are all unable to live without being supported by others and most of all we can’t live if not supported by the Lord our God.
I hope we can remember that we are not to live by normal “give and take”, but rather we always owe each other “gives” and “takes” in a sense that we are to support (live) with each other.
And the bible teaches us that the banquet that God is preparing for us (that includes a fellowship in the Kingdom of God, and the joy we are given in faith) is a truly great and wonderful thing.
God’s Kingdom where He allows us to enter is so wonderful that there is no way for us to give something suitable in return.
The reason we are able to know God, believe in God, and are allowed to enter His Kingdom, is because Jesus gave His life on the cross for us.
Jesus paid all the price for our salvation. Let us remember that this cost, which we could not have paid ourselves, was paid for by Jesus Christ.
We have been given an invitation to God’s Kingdom. However, in today’s passage we see that the guests who were invited to the banquet turn down the invitation when the banquet begins.
At the time, the Jews apparently had the custom of telling the guests about the coming banquet ahead of time, but the specific time and date would not be told until just before it began.
I felt that this was a rather sloppy custom. This may be because we are so used to having our lifestyles revolve around specific schedules.
The person who had prepared the banquet waited for the guests he invited to come. However, for various reasons, the people invited declined to attend the banquet.
One person said that he had just bought a field and needed to go see it. Another said that he had just bought five yoke of oxen and he needed to go inspect them.
Another said that he had just gotten married, so he couldn’t attend. Everyone had some sort of reason why they could not attend.
Why did these people decline to attend this great banquet? It is because they prioritized things that affected their own lifestyle or finances.
So does that mean that this passage is teaching us that it is foolish to prioritize our own affairs over the fellowship of the Kingdom of God and refusing the invitation to enter the Kingdom of God?
I believe that the main lesson to be learned from this passage is precisely that. When we center our lives around our own thoughts and plans, we lose sight of how great and wonderful the Kingdom of God is.
Another thing we can understand is that we view the invitation to the Kingdom of God as an obligation.
In reality, the invitation to the Kingdom of God is a great gift given freely. That is pure grace and a joy to us.
However, I believe today’s passage also shows us that we see God’s calling to the banquet as an obligation (burden) that must be fulfilled.
In today’s passage, the third person refused the invitation saying that he couldn’t go because he just got married.
In the Old Testament in ‘Deuteronomy’ 24:5 it says the following:
If a man has recently married, he must not be sent to war or have any other duty laid on him. For one year he is to be free to stay at home and bring happiness to the wife he has married.
This means that if a person gets married, they are exempt from military and other official duties for one year to prioritize their marriage life.
However, if someone is to use this situation (being a newlywed) as a reason not to attend the banquet of the Kingdom of God, that means that that person is thinking of attending the banquet of the Kingdom of God as being military service or an official duty.
The banquet of the Kingdom of God will have its perfect form when we are called to heaven and Jesus Christ has returned.
However, the signs of the banquet of the Kingdom of God have already begun in our lives on this Earth.
Jesus came to this world as a man, died on the cross and paid for our sins.
Through this, our sins were forgiven, and since we have become able to return before God, His Kingdom has begun appearing on this Earth.
Through our fellowship with Jesus Christ, through our fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ at church as His body, and through worshipping Christ our Lord, we experience at least a foretaste of the banquet of the Kingdom of God.
But we feel that this wonderful grace (worship), which is equivalent to a banquet in the Kingdom of God, is something like “a duty that we have to fulfill reluctantly,” then something is wrong.
If we find worship or attending other church gatherings to be troublesome (if you find yourself unmotivated to participate), then we must say that something is wrong there.
It may not be that that person is mistaken. It could be that the church itself, or the spiritual leader of the church, the pastor, has some spiritual or attitude problem.
However, this does not change the reality that the Lord, our God through the grace of Jesus Christ, is inviting us to His wonderful banquet.
This should be a great joy. If you find yourself unable to find joy in being invited to God’s Kingdom, then let us return together to the gospel of Christ and the message of the bible that teaches us that Jesus is with us.
Let us also trust that our faith in Jesus Christ, and our worship to Christ, which is a foundation of our faith, along with the fellowship of the church, are foretastes of the perfection that is to come in the great banquet of the Kingdom of God.
We have already received the invitation to the banquet of the Kingdom of God. There is no need to give anything in return (in fact we cannot give anything in return). Let us remember the joy of being invited to the banquet in the Kingdom of God and walk in faith of gratitude and hope.
Saturday, October 12, 2024
October 13, 2024 Sunday Worship Services
Prelude
Call to Worship Zechariah 1:3
Hymn JBC # 651 Saviour, Thy dying love
The Lord's Prayer
Hymn JBC # 213 Tell me the story of Jesus
Offering
Scripture Luke 15:11~24
Prayer
Sermon "From the parable of the prodigal son"
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 550 Dying with Jesus
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
Postlude
*There is no sermon text uploaded today.
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Sunday Worship Service October 6 2024
Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 103:8～9
Hymn JBC # 626 I gave My life for thee
The Prayer Time
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 213 Tell me the story of Jesus
Offering
Scripture Luke 13:6～9
Prayer
Sermon “A fig tree that does not bear any fruits”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 81 God, our Father, we adore Thee!
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
Postlude
In today's scripture passage, Jesus told a parable. It is a parable, so it is not an actual event. The point is that there is a message that Jesus was trying to convey to His disciples through this story.
The words of the Bible are timeless and carry God's message to us today. Therefore, there is a message that God is trying to convey to us through this parable of Jesus today.
Since this is a parable, let’s listen to Jesus' words while using our imagination too.
Let us read verse 6 again.
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.
A man planted a fig tree in his vineyard. When you think about it, would you ever wonder, “Why would someone plant a fig tree in his vineyard?”
Why did he plant a fig in the vineyard? In fact, this seems to have been a common method of fruit cultivation in Judea at that time.
In a modern orchard, one would plant many of the same kind of fruit in the same place, such as only grapes, or only figs or only oranges in one place, to grow and harvest the fruit efficiently.
However, at the time the New Testament was written, about 2,000 years ago, it was common practice in Israel to plant figs and various other fruit trees too in vineyards.
Grapes can grow upward by becoming entangled with other trees. This was also the reason why fig trees were planted in vineyards.
Figs had a role in the vineyard other than producing fruit. The presence of fig trees helped the grapes to grow.
When we imagine a vineyard in Israel with a variety of fruit trees, we can imagine a colorful (if somewhat chaotic) scene of various fruits growing in support of each other, each with its own character and role in a same place.
Even though the location is a vineyard, there are many different fruit trees planted within it, each fulfilling its own role. And they support each other.
Does this not remind you of our church? Doesn't it give us hope that the church could be like that?
We believers, especially in a church called by God, can respect each other's individuality, appreciate our differences, support each other, and rejoice in the fact that each one of us is specially loved by God.
In the vineyard, the Master (i.e., God) planted a fig tree with a special thought.
Each of us is a fig tree, or a pomegranate (Zaku-lo), or an apple, or any other variety of tree, but we desire to take care of one another as equally valuable humans loved by God, just like fruits planted in the same place by God's plan.
The owner who planted the figs in his vineyard naturally expected that the figs would eventually bear fruit, and he waited for a long time for the fruit to become abundant.
However, for three years, the owner kept coming back to the fig tree, hoping that it would bear fruit, but it never did.
It takes about three years for a fig tree to bear fruit after it is first planted.
Therefore, I imagine that the fact that the owner kept coming to the fig tree to look for fruit for three years means that it had been six years total since the fig tree was first planted.
This shows how patient God is and how earnestly He wants us to bear the fruit of faith.
What does the fruit of our faith look like? In another New Testament passage, Galatians 5:22-23, we read:
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control - these are the fruits of the spirit, the fruits that believers are said to bear through faith in Jesus Christ.
Joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - these are all attributes of God that Jesus Christ Himself possessed in abundance.
If we have received joy and peace through Jesus Christ, we can also acquire tolerance and kindness to others, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (control of our own desires).
Are we bearing such fruits of faith? Can God look at us and find such fruits of faith in us?
“Fruit” provides nourishment (food for life) to others. Therefore, the fruit of faith that we should bear should nourish other people.
We want our existence and our church to produce abundant fruit of faith in Christ so that we can nourish those around us and the community around our church.
We have joy in Christ. We have peace through Christ. Let us bear these fruits of faith in abundance, and let us pass them on to others.
For three years, the owner of the vineyard kept coming back again and again to see if there were any fruits, but in the end he could not find any.
The owner says (verse 7):
‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
“This fig tree is not producing any fruit at all. It is just a wasteful use of the soil. Cut it down."-When we think the fig tree here is the believers ourselves, it seems that God is very cruel.
But we must know how patiently God waited for us to bear the fruit of repentance before He said, “Cut it down.”
In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, we read the following words of God. The parable of the grape illustrates how God loved His people (the Israelites) with a deep love.
(Isaiah 5:4)
What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?
God is love. God is the One who loves and cares for us with infinite love. And true love can be harsh when necessary.
Because God is true love, He is also the one with the severity that is necessary for us. As recipients of God's great love, we must know that God also has the authority to judge us harshly.
When God said “Cut down this fig tree”, the man who took care of the vineyard said (verses 8-9)
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
'Leave it alone for one more year. I will dig around the tree and fertilize it. Please wait one more year.” This gardener, which desperately begs his master to wait one more year, represents Jesus Christ.
In this way, Jesus is offering intercessory prayers and petitions to God the Father in heaven on our behalf for our forgiveness.
This is what this gardener is saying. “I will do all I can. I will not only water the tree, but I will dig around it and fertilize it. In that way, I will thoroughly take care of this fig tree, giving it EVERYTHING it needs so that it can grow.”
Do we believe that there is One who generously gives us everything we need (for us to fulfill our respective missions and roles and grow in faith, to bear the fruits of faith) in such a way?
As I reflect on myself now as a pastor, I could not help but be acutely aware that all that I truly need has been and continues to be given to me.
When I decided to dedicate myself as a pastor, I made my own decision based on God's calling “I will give up everything and go wherever God tells me to go, I will preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to people.”
But before I could give anything up, God had actually prepared and provided everything I needed for me.
God had already prepared a church where I would be allowed to serve as a pastor, and He had given me everyone who would welcome me and respect me up as their pastor.
He had already given me a wonderful church building in a wonderful place (long before I came). There is nothing I did on my own.
There are many countries and regions in the world where people are not free to have faith in Christ or to evangelize. There are many missionaries and evangelists in those places who are serving the ministry of Christ's mission risking their lives.
Now I do not have such serious restrictions and persecutions related to the ministry and pastoral work. I realized that in many cases I had forgotten how blessed I am to have each of these things.
With so much of God's grace, with everything I need given to me, I was reminded that if I did not bear the fruit the Lord desired of me as a Christian and as a pastor and evangelist, I would be cut down, and God had every right to do so.
God, in His infinite love, patience, and great plan, has put us in our places.
In each place where we are placed, we can surely bear abundant fruits of faith through the love, mercy, and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The fruit of faith and the fruit of the spirit that we bear will also spiritually enrich and animate others with whom we share our lives, and will be our way of communicating Christ to them.
Let us give thanks to God who gives us all blessings, let us stay connected to God, and let us bear the abundant fruit of faith.
Prelude
Call to Worship Psalm 103:8～9
Hymn JBC # 626 I gave My life for thee
The Prayer Time
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 213 Tell me the story of Jesus
Offering
Scripture Luke 13:6～9
Prayer
Sermon “A fig tree that does not bear any fruits”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 81 God, our Father, we adore Thee!
Doxology JBC # 674
Benediction
Postlude
In today's scripture passage, Jesus told a parable. It is a parable, so it is not an actual event. The point is that there is a message that Jesus was trying to convey to His disciples through this story.
The words of the Bible are timeless and carry God's message to us today. Therefore, there is a message that God is trying to convey to us through this parable of Jesus today.
Since this is a parable, let’s listen to Jesus' words while using our imagination too.
Let us read verse 6 again.
Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any.
A man planted a fig tree in his vineyard. When you think about it, would you ever wonder, “Why would someone plant a fig tree in his vineyard?”
Why did he plant a fig in the vineyard? In fact, this seems to have been a common method of fruit cultivation in Judea at that time.
In a modern orchard, one would plant many of the same kind of fruit in the same place, such as only grapes, or only figs or only oranges in one place, to grow and harvest the fruit efficiently.
However, at the time the New Testament was written, about 2,000 years ago, it was common practice in Israel to plant figs and various other fruit trees too in vineyards.
Grapes can grow upward by becoming entangled with other trees. This was also the reason why fig trees were planted in vineyards.
Figs had a role in the vineyard other than producing fruit. The presence of fig trees helped the grapes to grow.
When we imagine a vineyard in Israel with a variety of fruit trees, we can imagine a colorful (if somewhat chaotic) scene of various fruits growing in support of each other, each with its own character and role in a same place.
Even though the location is a vineyard, there are many different fruit trees planted within it, each fulfilling its own role. And they support each other.
Does this not remind you of our church? Doesn't it give us hope that the church could be like that?
We believers, especially in a church called by God, can respect each other's individuality, appreciate our differences, support each other, and rejoice in the fact that each one of us is specially loved by God.
In the vineyard, the Master (i.e., God) planted a fig tree with a special thought.
Each of us is a fig tree, or a pomegranate (Zaku-lo), or an apple, or any other variety of tree, but we desire to take care of one another as equally valuable humans loved by God, just like fruits planted in the same place by God's plan.
The owner who planted the figs in his vineyard naturally expected that the figs would eventually bear fruit, and he waited for a long time for the fruit to become abundant.
However, for three years, the owner kept coming back to the fig tree, hoping that it would bear fruit, but it never did.
It takes about three years for a fig tree to bear fruit after it is first planted.
Therefore, I imagine that the fact that the owner kept coming to the fig tree to look for fruit for three years means that it had been six years total since the fig tree was first planted.
This shows how patient God is and how earnestly He wants us to bear the fruit of faith.
What does the fruit of our faith look like? In another New Testament passage, Galatians 5:22-23, we read:
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control - these are the fruits of the spirit, the fruits that believers are said to bear through faith in Jesus Christ.
Joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control - these are all attributes of God that Jesus Christ Himself possessed in abundance.
If we have received joy and peace through Jesus Christ, we can also acquire tolerance and kindness to others, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (control of our own desires).
Are we bearing such fruits of faith? Can God look at us and find such fruits of faith in us?
“Fruit” provides nourishment (food for life) to others. Therefore, the fruit of faith that we should bear should nourish other people.
We want our existence and our church to produce abundant fruit of faith in Christ so that we can nourish those around us and the community around our church.
We have joy in Christ. We have peace through Christ. Let us bear these fruits of faith in abundance, and let us pass them on to others.
For three years, the owner of the vineyard kept coming back again and again to see if there were any fruits, but in the end he could not find any.
The owner says (verse 7):
‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
“This fig tree is not producing any fruit at all. It is just a wasteful use of the soil. Cut it down."-When we think the fig tree here is the believers ourselves, it seems that God is very cruel.
But we must know how patiently God waited for us to bear the fruit of repentance before He said, “Cut it down.”
In the Old Testament book of Isaiah, we read the following words of God. The parable of the grape illustrates how God loved His people (the Israelites) with a deep love.
(Isaiah 5:4)
What more could have been done for my vineyard
than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes,
why did it yield only bad?
God is love. God is the One who loves and cares for us with infinite love. And true love can be harsh when necessary.
Because God is true love, He is also the one with the severity that is necessary for us. As recipients of God's great love, we must know that God also has the authority to judge us harshly.
When God said “Cut down this fig tree”, the man who took care of the vineyard said (verses 8-9)
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
'Leave it alone for one more year. I will dig around the tree and fertilize it. Please wait one more year.” This gardener, which desperately begs his master to wait one more year, represents Jesus Christ.
In this way, Jesus is offering intercessory prayers and petitions to God the Father in heaven on our behalf for our forgiveness.
This is what this gardener is saying. “I will do all I can. I will not only water the tree, but I will dig around it and fertilize it. In that way, I will thoroughly take care of this fig tree, giving it EVERYTHING it needs so that it can grow.”
Do we believe that there is One who generously gives us everything we need (for us to fulfill our respective missions and roles and grow in faith, to bear the fruits of faith) in such a way?
As I reflect on myself now as a pastor, I could not help but be acutely aware that all that I truly need has been and continues to be given to me.
When I decided to dedicate myself as a pastor, I made my own decision based on God's calling “I will give up everything and go wherever God tells me to go, I will preach the gospel of Jesus Christ to people.”
But before I could give anything up, God had actually prepared and provided everything I needed for me.
God had already prepared a church where I would be allowed to serve as a pastor, and He had given me everyone who would welcome me and respect me up as their pastor.
He had already given me a wonderful church building in a wonderful place (long before I came). There is nothing I did on my own.
There are many countries and regions in the world where people are not free to have faith in Christ or to evangelize. There are many missionaries and evangelists in those places who are serving the ministry of Christ's mission risking their lives.
Now I do not have such serious restrictions and persecutions related to the ministry and pastoral work. I realized that in many cases I had forgotten how blessed I am to have each of these things.
With so much of God's grace, with everything I need given to me, I was reminded that if I did not bear the fruit the Lord desired of me as a Christian and as a pastor and evangelist, I would be cut down, and God had every right to do so.
God, in His infinite love, patience, and great plan, has put us in our places.
In each place where we are placed, we can surely bear abundant fruits of faith through the love, mercy, and grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The fruit of faith and the fruit of the spirit that we bear will also spiritually enrich and animate others with whom we share our lives, and will be our way of communicating Christ to them.
Let us give thanks to God who gives us all blessings, let us stay connected to God, and let us bear the abundant fruit of faith.
Friday, September 27, 2024
Sunday Worship Service September 29, 2024
Prelude
Call to Worship Joel 2:12~13a
Hymn JBC # 125 All Creatures of our God and King
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 40 O Thou, in whose presence
Offering
Scripture Matthew 5:21～26
Prayer
Sermon “Reconciliation with brothers”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 628 All to Jesus I surrender
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude
To the people of his (Jesus’) time, it seemed that our Lord Jesus Christ was not upholding the laws of the scriptures that had been observed since ancient times but was breaking them.
For example, Jesus would heal people who were suffering from illnesses even if it was the Sabbath (for the Jews, the Sabbath was on Saturdays).
Since this was seen as the work of healing, which went against the ban on conducting any kind of work on the Sabbath, these actions were criticized severely by the Jewish religious leaders (called the Pharisees and the teachers of the law).
However, Jesus said that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”, and taught people about the real meaning for why God created the Sabbath (to protect human life and dignity and to preserve people’s rest).
Since Jesus did those things that seemed to break (or ignore) the laws of the time, it seems that there were some people who saw Jesus’s actions and thought “We don’t need to observe the old laws anymore”.
Yet, if we listen to the words of Jesus in today’s passage in Matthew chapter 5, we see that Jesus certainly was not dismissing or ignoring the law.
In the section before today’s passage in Matthew chapter 5 verse 17, Jesus clearly says this.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Jesus came into the world to fulfill the Law that is God’s commandments. Jesus came into the world to show us the real meaning of God’s laws.
In today’s Bible passage, it talks about how being provoked to “anger (losing your temper)”, which is one of our emotions, as being against the Law. Let’s look at the words of Jesus.
For us as humans, we have a lot of different emotions. If something good or joyful happens, we feel joy.
During fun times, we feel enjoyment and happiness. If bad things happen or in times of suffering, we feel anxiety or sadness.
One of these emotions we have is “anger”. When is it that we feel anger? When things don’t go the right way, we might feel anger due to our sense of justice.
We hold the belief that morally and ethically, things should be a certain way, and when something happens contrary to this view, we feel indignation and anger.
The news often tells us about scams where the elderly are taken advantage of for their weaknesses. When we hear about crimes where people take advantage of their weak points to steal assets and property, we get angry.
However, in today’s passage, Jesus is saying that this anger or indignation may lead us in the wrong direction and cause us to commit a major sin.
Jesus says this in Verse 21.
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
In the Ten Commandments given to Moses, the sixth Commandment is “You shall not murder”. (Exodus 20:13)
The main principle that you shall not take a life is made clear to the Israelites through the Ten Commandments, and even now to us through the Bible.
“Anyone who murders will be subject to judgement” refers to a trial at human hands.
For example, the following is written about a trial of a murder suspect in ‘Numbers’ chapter 25 verse 30.
“‘Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
In this way, it was decreed that when holding trials (particularly in the case of serious cases such as suspected murders), the testimony of multiple witnesses must be heard, and trials must proceed cautiously.
Jesus himself clearly said that He did not come to abolish or ignore the Law, but to fulfill it.
And in today’s passage, Jesus shows us the real meaning of the law “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.”
Let’s look at the words of Jesus in verse 22.
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[“You idiot”] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement, and anyone who says things like “Raca” (“You idiot”) or “You fool” will be thrown in the fire of hell.
In other words, Jesus is saying that when in your heart you are angry with your brother or sister (which probably includes your own family and those closest to you), and when you say “You idiot” or “You fool” (including when you just think it to yourself), it is the same as murder.
This is the first meaning of when Jesus talks about “fulfilling the Law”. That is to say, the Law is not such that if we appear to follow it and don’t do anything bad, we are not sinning.
God sees into the hearts (the depths of our hearts) of us as we get angry with our brother or sister, and judges us on our bad thoughts.
We might think “Jesus is being too strict. No one can meet such a high standard.”
But, there are cases in Bible where being angry with a brother or sister led to actual cases of murder, and even in our society there are cases of this happening.
In ‘Genesis’ chapter 4 in the Old Testament, it tells the tragedy of what happened between Adam and Eve’s first children Cain and Abel.
Cain brought “fruits of the soil” (grain) as an offering to God, however God did not look on this offering with favor. On the other hand, Abel brought lamb (the firstborn of his flock) as an offering, which God did look on with favor.
Cain got extremely angry at this. He was angry that God did not look on his offering with favor, and Cain must have been full of feelings of anger and envy of Abel.
Because of this, in the end Cain killed Abel. These feelings of anger and envy towards his brother brought about the great tragedy of murder between brothers.
When we think about the fact that we have felt envious or angry towards others, we realize that what happened between Cain and Abel is something that could happen to any one of us.
One reason we might feel anger towards a brother or sister (others) is that they think differently or have a different position than us, and we cannot agree with such a person (with their view or position).
Generally in these situations, we must be thinking “I’m in the right”. Because of this, there are times we feel anger and indignation (or suspicion) when faced with opinions or positions different from our own.
Our anger is awoken because of these differences of opinion or position between ourselves and others, and this can develop into a serious sin.
So, what should we do to avoid this? Are the Bible and Jesus telling us to abandon all thoughts and desires of our own, and just agree with other people’s wishes, to keep the peace?
Let’s read today’s verses 23 to 24.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
Offering a gift at the altar is an important act of service to God. It is also a faithful duty that must be fulfilled. For us now, this would include worshipping God at church, serving, and giving offerings.
However, although these are all important, in today’s passage Jesus is saying that if there is someone we need to reconcile with, we should first go and make peace with that brother or sister.
Go and be reconciled to them – this is easier said than done. I think being the one to make the first move can be very difficult. (I often think, if only that person would compromise a little more...).
Also when the roots of the problem run deep, making peace or reconciling isn’t something that can be done simply in a short amount of time. We shouldn’t hold on to the fantasy that we can easily reconcile with anyone.
Even so, Jesus says “first go (you make the first move) and be reconciled to them (make peace), then come and offer your gift.
Because of this, let us pray that we follow Jesus’ teachings and that when the occasion arises, we are able to take the first step towards reconciliation.
Reconciliation is not an easy thing to do, and sometimes it takes time. However, let us not give up, but through prayer and communication, let us build a community of faith that has consideration for each other and has a mutual understanding of each other’s viewpoints.
I think if we pray. use our words to communicate, and listen to each other’s hearts, our eyes will be opened to the thoughts and hearts of others that we hadn’t realized before.
In verse 25 of today’s passage, it says that if we do not reconcile, our adversary may turn us over to a judge, the judge may turn us over to the officer, and we may be thrown into prison.
And finally in verse 26, it says the following.
26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
It is our duty (our responsibility) to reconcile with others, and to reconcile with God. Since this is our debt, it is one that we have to repay.
Yet due to our sin of self-centeredness, there is no way that we can repay this debt in full.
However, the Bible tells us that this debt we owe has been paid in full by Jesus.
In giving his life for us on the Cross, Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for us, so that we can first be reconciled with God.
Through Jesus, we are able to go to God and be reconciled with Him.
Also, at the same time as Jesus became the offering for our reconciliation with God, He also gave His life for us so that we may be reconciled with our brothers and sisters.
Let us remember that Jesus did not cling to His status as the Son of God, but gave His life in atonement for our sins.
Let us also follow the words of Jesus daily and, with the joy of a restored relationship with God, and let us take whatever small first steps we can towards restoring our relationships with others, our brothers and sisters.
Prelude
Call to Worship Joel 2:12~13a
Hymn JBC # 125 All Creatures of our God and King
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn JBC # 40 O Thou, in whose presence
Offering
Scripture Matthew 5:21～26
Prayer
Sermon “Reconciliation with brothers”
Prayer
Hymn JBC # 628 All to Jesus I surrender
Doxology JBC # 679
Benediction
Postlude
To the people of his (Jesus’) time, it seemed that our Lord Jesus Christ was not upholding the laws of the scriptures that had been observed since ancient times but was breaking them.
For example, Jesus would heal people who were suffering from illnesses even if it was the Sabbath (for the Jews, the Sabbath was on Saturdays).
Since this was seen as the work of healing, which went against the ban on conducting any kind of work on the Sabbath, these actions were criticized severely by the Jewish religious leaders (called the Pharisees and the teachers of the law).
However, Jesus said that “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath”, and taught people about the real meaning for why God created the Sabbath (to protect human life and dignity and to preserve people’s rest).
Since Jesus did those things that seemed to break (or ignore) the laws of the time, it seems that there were some people who saw Jesus’s actions and thought “We don’t need to observe the old laws anymore”.
Yet, if we listen to the words of Jesus in today’s passage in Matthew chapter 5, we see that Jesus certainly was not dismissing or ignoring the law.
In the section before today’s passage in Matthew chapter 5 verse 17, Jesus clearly says this.
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
Jesus came into the world to fulfill the Law that is God’s commandments. Jesus came into the world to show us the real meaning of God’s laws.
In today’s Bible passage, it talks about how being provoked to “anger (losing your temper)”, which is one of our emotions, as being against the Law. Let’s look at the words of Jesus.
For us as humans, we have a lot of different emotions. If something good or joyful happens, we feel joy.
During fun times, we feel enjoyment and happiness. If bad things happen or in times of suffering, we feel anxiety or sadness.
One of these emotions we have is “anger”. When is it that we feel anger? When things don’t go the right way, we might feel anger due to our sense of justice.
We hold the belief that morally and ethically, things should be a certain way, and when something happens contrary to this view, we feel indignation and anger.
The news often tells us about scams where the elderly are taken advantage of for their weaknesses. When we hear about crimes where people take advantage of their weak points to steal assets and property, we get angry.
However, in today’s passage, Jesus is saying that this anger or indignation may lead us in the wrong direction and cause us to commit a major sin.
Jesus says this in Verse 21.
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
In the Ten Commandments given to Moses, the sixth Commandment is “You shall not murder”. (Exodus 20:13)
The main principle that you shall not take a life is made clear to the Israelites through the Ten Commandments, and even now to us through the Bible.
“Anyone who murders will be subject to judgement” refers to a trial at human hands.
For example, the following is written about a trial of a murder suspect in ‘Numbers’ chapter 25 verse 30.
“‘Anyone who kills a person is to be put to death as a murderer only on the testimony of witnesses. But no one is to be put to death on the testimony of only one witness.
In this way, it was decreed that when holding trials (particularly in the case of serious cases such as suspected murders), the testimony of multiple witnesses must be heard, and trials must proceed cautiously.
Jesus himself clearly said that He did not come to abolish or ignore the Law, but to fulfill it.
And in today’s passage, Jesus shows us the real meaning of the law “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgement.”
Let’s look at the words of Jesus in verse 22.
22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’[“You idiot”] is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgement, and anyone who says things like “Raca” (“You idiot”) or “You fool” will be thrown in the fire of hell.
In other words, Jesus is saying that when in your heart you are angry with your brother or sister (which probably includes your own family and those closest to you), and when you say “You idiot” or “You fool” (including when you just think it to yourself), it is the same as murder.
This is the first meaning of when Jesus talks about “fulfilling the Law”. That is to say, the Law is not such that if we appear to follow it and don’t do anything bad, we are not sinning.
God sees into the hearts (the depths of our hearts) of us as we get angry with our brother or sister, and judges us on our bad thoughts.
We might think “Jesus is being too strict. No one can meet such a high standard.”
But, there are cases in Bible where being angry with a brother or sister led to actual cases of murder, and even in our society there are cases of this happening.
In ‘Genesis’ chapter 4 in the Old Testament, it tells the tragedy of what happened between Adam and Eve’s first children Cain and Abel.
Cain brought “fruits of the soil” (grain) as an offering to God, however God did not look on this offering with favor. On the other hand, Abel brought lamb (the firstborn of his flock) as an offering, which God did look on with favor.
Cain got extremely angry at this. He was angry that God did not look on his offering with favor, and Cain must have been full of feelings of anger and envy of Abel.
Because of this, in the end Cain killed Abel. These feelings of anger and envy towards his brother brought about the great tragedy of murder between brothers.
When we think about the fact that we have felt envious or angry towards others, we realize that what happened between Cain and Abel is something that could happen to any one of us.
One reason we might feel anger towards a brother or sister (others) is that they think differently or have a different position than us, and we cannot agree with such a person (with their view or position).
Generally in these situations, we must be thinking “I’m in the right”. Because of this, there are times we feel anger and indignation (or suspicion) when faced with opinions or positions different from our own.
Our anger is awoken because of these differences of opinion or position between ourselves and others, and this can develop into a serious sin.
So, what should we do to avoid this? Are the Bible and Jesus telling us to abandon all thoughts and desires of our own, and just agree with other people’s wishes, to keep the peace?
Let’s read today’s verses 23 to 24.
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
Offering a gift at the altar is an important act of service to God. It is also a faithful duty that must be fulfilled. For us now, this would include worshipping God at church, serving, and giving offerings.
However, although these are all important, in today’s passage Jesus is saying that if there is someone we need to reconcile with, we should first go and make peace with that brother or sister.
Go and be reconciled to them – this is easier said than done. I think being the one to make the first move can be very difficult. (I often think, if only that person would compromise a little more...).
Also when the roots of the problem run deep, making peace or reconciling isn’t something that can be done simply in a short amount of time. We shouldn’t hold on to the fantasy that we can easily reconcile with anyone.
Even so, Jesus says “first go (you make the first move) and be reconciled to them (make peace), then come and offer your gift.
Because of this, let us pray that we follow Jesus’ teachings and that when the occasion arises, we are able to take the first step towards reconciliation.
Reconciliation is not an easy thing to do, and sometimes it takes time. However, let us not give up, but through prayer and communication, let us build a community of faith that has consideration for each other and has a mutual understanding of each other’s viewpoints.
I think if we pray. use our words to communicate, and listen to each other’s hearts, our eyes will be opened to the thoughts and hearts of others that we hadn’t realized before.
In verse 25 of today’s passage, it says that if we do not reconcile, our adversary may turn us over to a judge, the judge may turn us over to the officer, and we may be thrown into prison.
And finally in verse 26, it says the following.
26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
It is our duty (our responsibility) to reconcile with others, and to reconcile with God. Since this is our debt, it is one that we have to repay.
Yet due to our sin of self-centeredness, there is no way that we can repay this debt in full.
However, the Bible tells us that this debt we owe has been paid in full by Jesus.
In giving his life for us on the Cross, Jesus became the atoning sacrifice for us, so that we can first be reconciled with God.
Through Jesus, we are able to go to God and be reconciled with Him.
Also, at the same time as Jesus became the offering for our reconciliation with God, He also gave His life for us so that we may be reconciled with our brothers and sisters.
Let us remember that Jesus did not cling to His status as the Son of God, but gave His life in atonement for our sins.
Let us also follow the words of Jesus daily and, with the joy of a restored relationship with God, and let us take whatever small first steps we can towards restoring our relationships with others, our brothers and sisters.
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